ticketism
Songster
So, Chai the buff/white Orpington turned 18 weeks and has started laying! She had a couple of weeks of obvious behavioural changes, then one afternoon she was see seeming extremely agitated, pacing and clucking, up and down and up down and up and down the ladder to the sleep space/nesting box... The next day at about 10am when I left there was nothing there, and when my partner checked at around midday - An egg!
It was tiny (31g) but perfectly formed and beautiful. The next day (Wednesday), I wasn't expecting another one, but I went down to the coop at about 2pm to fill up some fresh water and chuck in some treats, bent down to scruffle Chai's tail feathers affectionately, and she squatted right in front of me and lay another one! It was so quick, she was so quiet - I'm sure she was just as surprised as I was, hahaha. This time 34g and just as perfectly formed. On Thursday there was no egg, then another one appeared on Friday morning (32g and perfect too).
She lay all three on the floor in the run, right near the door. I'm pretty sure she was wanting to get out and over to a particular shady spot under some bushes I've been watching her meticulously arrange for the last couple of weeks. So I got some dummy eggs and put them in the nesting box. Yesterday and today she's been spending a lot of time up in the nesting box, making a comfy little imprint for herself and acting all agitated like she was before she lay her first one. It's nearly 3pm and there's been no egg, but every time I check the nesting box, she's in there, quietly sitting on the dummy eggs.
Has she gone broody so quickly? Should I be expecting an egg today? Does this mean she'll start laying in the box? I've tried using the forum search engine, and I've read a lot of threads asking similar questions, but I'm still not really sure what it means or what to do. These are our first pullets (we started with some others that turned out to be Roos and had to be rehomed) and first eggs ever, so we're both really excited! My partner doesn't like the dummy eggs coz she keeps seeing them then having those little moments of excitement, realisation and disappointment, haha, but I thought it was a good idea to show Chai where to lay, and discourage her from wanting to go lay in the bushes where we won't find them... But if they've sent her broody (so young! I didn't think that was likely at all!) I'll definitely take them out.
What do you guys think? Also - Yayyy! First egg! So exciting. Well done Chai! Now just keep at it =D
It was tiny (31g) but perfectly formed and beautiful. The next day (Wednesday), I wasn't expecting another one, but I went down to the coop at about 2pm to fill up some fresh water and chuck in some treats, bent down to scruffle Chai's tail feathers affectionately, and she squatted right in front of me and lay another one! It was so quick, she was so quiet - I'm sure she was just as surprised as I was, hahaha. This time 34g and just as perfectly formed. On Thursday there was no egg, then another one appeared on Friday morning (32g and perfect too).
She lay all three on the floor in the run, right near the door. I'm pretty sure she was wanting to get out and over to a particular shady spot under some bushes I've been watching her meticulously arrange for the last couple of weeks. So I got some dummy eggs and put them in the nesting box. Yesterday and today she's been spending a lot of time up in the nesting box, making a comfy little imprint for herself and acting all agitated like she was before she lay her first one. It's nearly 3pm and there's been no egg, but every time I check the nesting box, she's in there, quietly sitting on the dummy eggs.
Has she gone broody so quickly? Should I be expecting an egg today? Does this mean she'll start laying in the box? I've tried using the forum search engine, and I've read a lot of threads asking similar questions, but I'm still not really sure what it means or what to do. These are our first pullets (we started with some others that turned out to be Roos and had to be rehomed) and first eggs ever, so we're both really excited! My partner doesn't like the dummy eggs coz she keeps seeing them then having those little moments of excitement, realisation and disappointment, haha, but I thought it was a good idea to show Chai where to lay, and discourage her from wanting to go lay in the bushes where we won't find them... But if they've sent her broody (so young! I didn't think that was likely at all!) I'll definitely take them out.
What do you guys think? Also - Yayyy! First egg! So exciting. Well done Chai! Now just keep at it =D